IS counterattacks target Iraqi troops in Ramadi

Iraq’s military says Islamic State militants launched suicide attacks on Friday with seven suicide vehicle bombs in… Despite the declaration of victory with regards to re-claiming the area, Defence Ministry officials have said it will take more time to completely liberate the al-Anbar province from IS forces.

Attacks by five suicide bombers on an Iraqi military base north of Baghdad have killed at least 15 Iraqi security forces and wounded 22 others.

ISIS militants continue to launch a series of counterattacks against Iraqi government forces on the edges of the western city of Ramadi, days after the militant group was driven out of the city center.

In a statement posted online, ISIS said its commando reached a center where 1,200 cadets were being trained, sparking clashes that lasted 4 hours.

And it’s tempting to conclude from the months-long battle that America’s Iraqi allies have turned the corner after seeming hopelessly overmatched by ISIL forces that drove them out of cities such as Ramadi in the first place. The Iraqi forces recovered the base with the help of an air strike.

Troops have raised the Iraqi flag on top of the government compound in central Ramadi, military spokesman Brig.

Col Warren said they had not yet seen IS “mass enough combat power to move Iraq off their positions”.

The Iraqi army announced they were in full control of Ramadi on December 28.

The group has continued to carry out suicide attacks in various locations, including on Friday north of Ramadi and over the weekend near the other main cities of Anbar, Fallujah and Haditha.

Some 4 million Iraqi’s have since fled the territory.

“The enemy is getting extraordinarily desperate when it comes to manpower”, he said. Since responsibility for the November 2015 Paris attacks was claimed by the IS group, France has increased the number of air raids against the group in Syria, focusing on Raqqa, and oil supply lines.